Changes in the feeding behavior and habitat use of the desert hedgehog Paraechinus aethiopicus (Ehrenberg 1832, Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae), in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Due to the urbanization and human invasion of the natural environments, great changes have been occurred on the food composition and feeding ecology of several animals especially those are sharing human his habitat in fields, wadis and gardens. The desert hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus populations inhabiting different localities in Saudi Arabia were studied by using stomach contents analysis between February 2015 and October 2019. Precise analysis of stomach contents of 55 hedgehogs showed that the food of P. aethiopicus is highly diverse and highly influenced with effect of human on the environment including cooked rice, insects, plant materials, eggshells, worms, garbage and remnants of mammals and birds. Diet composition showed seasonal variations that are apparently associated with changes in the availability of different food items. The present results clearly showed that P. aethiopicus is an omnivorous mammal, capable of adapting to a great variety of dietary compositions in the study sites.

Tongue microarchitecture and functional characterization of the lingual papillae in the desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus)

“…Several investigations have discussed the lingual morphoanatomy and feeding habits in small mammals, including hedgehogs (Akbari et al, 2018; Cizek et al, 2020). For instance, The Ethiopian hedgehog has an insectivorous feeding lifestyle and mainly consumes insects and small invertebrates (Mohamed, 2021). The tongue topography and microanatomy of P. aethiopicus have not been examined yet and there is no information discussing the lingual adaptation to feeding habits in thit species.…”